Dismissed workers of the Ssangyong Motor company were pushed to the corner to launch their sit-in protest again after the agreement between the management and trade union was made in December 2015 for the gradual rehiring of laid-off workers due to the massive restructuring in 2009 and the drop of a lawsuit filed by the company for compensation and provisional attachment for damages against trade union which led the strikes to resist the restructuring.
Despite the landmark agreement, however, many dismissed workers are still waiting for the rehiring opportunities and union officials who led the strikes are suffering from the court ruling on the compensation and provisional attachment for damages.
The court ruled 1.16 billion won(US$1 million) to the Ssangyong Motor Union Local and 3.3 billion won(US$2.8 million) to the Korean Metal Workers' Union for damages caused by the strikes. The final verdict will be made in the Supreme Court.
reported by Je Jeong-nam
translated by Kim Sung-jin